The Pre-Classic era can be divided into three ages... early, middle and late. The brief Proto-Classic which follows them subsequently leads into the Classic era proper. The early pre-Classic is characterised by the emergence of ‘complex’ societies... those organised by social rank and role and where differences in social and political status are inherent. In Pre-Classic Maya societies there is a high degree of occupational specialisation. Social position is dictated by birth rite. The system of control during this time is termed ‘chiefdom’... the chief is the leader of the highest ranking lineage... economically superior and supernaturally endowed (due to his link with the ancestors). The chief’s authority, however, is limited to persuasion, alligences, favours... the ruling elite is not yet strong enough to exert total control... the warrior class is too undeveloped to enforce their rule. Knowledge of the middle Pre-Classic is largely dominated by the Olmec... they set up colonies along the Pacific coast and controlled local trade routes. The Late Pre-Classic sees cessation of Olmec presence... Southern Maya centres flourish as they adopt the former Olmec trade routes. Numerics, calendrical systems and glyphs first appear... stelae are erected commemorating historic events. In the south, the architecture and intellectual achievements of the Late Pre-Classic Maya serve as the prototype for future civilisations. The most powerful of these centres is Kaminaljuyu with its rich obsidian source at El Chayal. Of the lowland Maya in the Late Preclassic, less development is present... society is egalitarian with little specialisation, stratification or work roles... a social structure emerges slowly and there is no evidence that they developed hieroglyphs or a calender. The Protoclassic era (100-250AD, as an antecedent to the classic, sees the sudden decline of the Southern Maya (that is, Pacific coast Maya). Stelae cults vanish. A significantly lesser population means trade routes cannot be sustained. Mexica Teotihuacan (central Mexico) arrives and colonises the region. The eruption of volcano Llopango in El Salvador is often cited as the main cause of the fall. At the same time, the Maya lowlands suddenly sees an acceleration in development. Two theories emphasise different causes for this. The first argues that the lowlands developed indigenously... without outside influence... as seen at the site of Tikal... population growth and archiectural elaboration were steady over time. The second theory proposes that sudden Protoclassic lowland flourescence was a matter of external input... East lowland sites show a sudden and rapid population increase along with the acquisition of tools. Some scholars argue the possibility of a South Maya migration... the subsequent importation of their systems into the lowlands. There is limited evidence for this and it seems plausible that such a movement would have acted only as a catalyst... the lowland Maya were well on their way in any case. Prior to an examination of the Classic era, it is necessary to note some details concerning ‘emblem glyphs’. ‘Emblem glyphs’ are hieroglyphics unique to a site... they may refer to the ruler of the site or to the site itself. The glyph is always accompanied by two features. First, a sign indicating ‘Lord of the Mat’... the ‘Mat’ being the highest political office in Maya society. Second, there is always the accompanying  sign of ‘water group’ which is also interpreted as ‘line of descent’ or ‘precious’. The discovery of emblem glyphs has aided scholars in tracking the political history of the Maya. It has also helped in the extrapolation of several theories. Joyce Marcus proposed a type distinction of Maya sites based on the presence or absence of emblem glyphs. ‘Regional centres’ are the first in the region to have acquired an emblem glyph... maybe more than one... the site is often mentioned by its dependencies. A ‘secondary centre’ is a site with its own emblem but one that is rarely mentioned by the regional capital... there may be the presence of ‘texts’ that refer to marriages or alliances with the primary site. ‘Tertiary centres’ may mention secondary centres. A tertiary centre has no emblems but its texts may mention the capital as well as secondaries. Quaternary centres possess neither emblems nor makes mention of other sites. The early Classic (250-550AD) was largely dominated by the city of Tikal, located in what is now northern Guatemala. Tikal outshone other proto-Classic cities, including El Zapote, Yaxha, Xultun and El Mirador – the most promising of the Proto Classic sites. There are several reasons for Tikal’s success. Firstly, the city was ideally located... for controlling trade to the Gulf and Carribbean (via river)... for defensive purposes, for the exploitation of flint and for the agricultural utilisation of seasonal swamps. Tikal was also allied with two major mesoamerican centres... Teotihuacan, the dominant central Mexican force, and Kaminaljuyu, with its rich obsidian source. Monuments at the site reveal something of the history of the city and they also indicate the adoption of Mexican styles (‘Mexican’ refers to any civilisation outside of the Maya... predominantly those residing in the centre of the country). The earliest known emblem is that of the Jaguar Paw lineage. Of their dynasty, King ‘Curl Nose’ made the aforementioned alliances through his marriage to a woman from Kaminaljuyu. He is found depicted in the front facing style of Teotihuacan... clothed in the regalia common to that people. Also, burial offerings in his tomb were similar to those employed at Kaminalijuyu. With the ascension of ‘Stormy Sky’ in 426, lowland traditions and Teotihuacan-Kaminaljuyu economic and political institutions were fully synthesised. Stela 31 reveals classic Maya side-on style... Tlaloc, the Mexican raingod is depicted along with people clothed in Teotihuacan military regalia. Stormy Sky extended trade routes south-east and south-west and imposed dynastic rule on minor centres. Control, however, was not maintained after his death... most places gaining independence. Yaxchilan, for example, was dominated in 475. The Tikal emblem is prevelent there along with a persitence in sculptural style. In 514, Yaxchilan displays its own emblem, indicating a break to independence. A similar fate effected Quirigua and Copan in the south-east... sites crucial for the control of long distance trade and obsidian resources. Evidence indicates the presence of calenders and sculptures traditional to the lowlands by 500 AD... Tikal style structures. By 564, however, Copan acquires its own emblem and later dominates Quirigua. General features of early preclassic societies are centralised government, stratified society and dynasties of rulers with divine rites. Social mobility was high and merely required the control of resources, trade or land. An elite rose to preside over it all. The Middle Classic era (534-593) marks a ‘hiatus’... the mysterious fall of Tikal. Around this time, there is a substantial decline in the erection of monuments and evidence of population diminishment. Elite tombs are also rather impoverished in comparison to earlier ones. Scholars suggest that Teotihaucan lost its grip on the region and along with Kaminaljuyu, broke its ties with Tikal. Whatever the causes of the hiatus, the dominance of Tikal ended... several other centres rose to the fore... the Late Classic era began. The Late Classic (600-790AD) is characterised by the rise and rule of several primary centres... Tikal for the Peten, Yaxchilan for the Usumacinta, Palenque for the Southwest region, Chalakmul in Northern Peten and Copan in the south-east. Of these... Tikal, Palenque, Calakmul, Copan acted as cardinal points in Maya cosmogyny. The era is necessarily marked by a decrease in centralised power, an increase in uniformity of art and the adoption of a common lunar calender. Marriage exchanges and military alliances were common... there was increased competition and less social mobility.
		HOME
				MORE...